Val's Friday Favorites {08-29-14}

1.

This Spot

This is truly an obsession of mine.  I cannot walk into a Target without stopping at the OneSpot for at least 15 minutes.  You can find some serious treasures in there!  Some of my favorite things are school supplies, of course.  I use these with my kids for now, however, when I do go back to teaching, I will take these things with me.  You can follow the link above to see some of the things Erin has found in the OneSpot.  While you're at it, you might as well just follow her blog. 

These are a few of the things that I have loved from the OneSpot.

{Clockwise from Top Left} Teacher's Plan Book, Supply Caddy(great for portable homework station, just throw in some glue sticks, crayons, scissors, and a pencil), Workbooks for practicing skills(these even come with stickers! instant reward), Foam Shape Manipulatives, Alphabet matching puzzles, Number matching puzzles, and flashcards.

{Clockwise from Top Left} Jumbo Shovel, Baseball with Bat(this one was $3), Play Packs(I LOVE these things!  Great for taking on the go!), Frozen Tattoos, Elsa puzzle, Water football, 3-d Dino puzzle, and a Spiderman Glowstick.

See you can find lots of things for your treasure box/reward system for home or school, as well!

2.

This Way to Preserve Memories

This site give you 'everything you need to turn ordinary photos and video clips into rich videos.'  Truly.  I did get that right off the site, however, I have used this for about a year and it is AMAZING!!  All you have to do is pick a video theme.  There are quite a few to choose from.  Next, you slot in your photos and 10 sec video clips in the order you would like them to appear.  Finally, you publish and you can share your video anywhere you would like.  Grandparents love watching these.  As do kids.  

Aside from personal videos (a.k.a. birth, wedding, birthday, vacations), you could use this with teaching.  Imagine putting together your regular slideshow into something fun and imaginative.  This site provides music, however, you can upload your own music from your computer.

3.

This Amazing Tool

Yesterday as I was walking my daughter to her classroom, it hit me, that smell.  Mmmmmm.  Lamination.  Yes, I still love lamination.  Once you have had a laminator at your beck and call while teaching, you become slightly intoxicated with the smell.  So you can imagine that when I saw this laminator on sale, close to Christmas two years ago, I gobbled that right up and have been laminating everything I can possibly think to.  File folder games, flashcards, FHE lessons, and on and on.  Oh, the possibilities are endless.  If you wait until closer to Christmas, if you can :), it goes on sale for about 20 to 25 dollars.  Not bad.  The pouches will also go on sale around that time as well.

4.

This Book

I have been using this book with my oldest and have been loving it!  I think that, not only is it an effective teaching method, it is very easy for anyone to teach their child to read.  No formal training necessary.  It is a scripted lesson model where you read and instruct your child directly from the book.  No winging it with this.  My daughter is super excited to be reading!

5.

These Clothes

Seriously cute outfits for teachers and used to be or wanna be teachers.  :)  All at reasonable prices as well.  Just follow allij28 on Polyvore.  She puts together some nice outfits and has many collections for Teacher Outfits on a Teacher's Budget.  So many fun and cute and appropriate outfits to choose from.

Bonus

This sick beat

Love her or hate her, you have to admire the way she dances to the beat of her own drummer.  She is not afraid to be who she is.  Self confidence, check.  Plus, I love this sick beat. :)

Lottery Ticket Reward

One reward system that I implemented last year was widely loved by my students.  I think it can be used in the classroom and at home.  LOTTERY TICKETS!  Complete with a scratch off experience to find out what they've won.  I used them to help encourage my students to keep up on their homework but they could be used for anything you can imagine.  One thing that I really wanted to do this next year was to advertise a GRAND PRIZE that is on one lottery ticket.  For example, "Pizza Party for You and 2 Friends" or "$10 Gift Card to Toys R Us".  Something that they will really want so the desired behavior continues when they don't get the grand prize.

Here's what you need and how to make this fun project work!

Materials:
Printable {FREE Below}
Cardstock
Sharpie {optional}
Contact Paper
Scissors
Paint {gray or silver}
Dishwashing Soap
Foam Paintbrush

1.  Print out a few copies of the FREE printables below on card stock (colored is my favorite!).

2.  If using the blank template, write in your rewards inside the box with a sharpie.

3.  Place a 2x2 square of contact paper over the reward box.

4.  Combine some gray or silver paint with some dishwashing soap.

I usually do 2 parts paint to 1 part soap.

5.  Use your paint/soap to paint over the contact paper.

 {You may need to do a coat or two if your paint gets too thin}

6.  Let the paint dry and then cut out lottery tickets. 

 7.  Give them a scratch with a penny and reveal the reward!

Here are the printables!

{Classroom Lottery Tickets}
{Blank Classroom Lottery Tickets}
{Blank Family Lottery Tickets}

JNatalie

Natalie's Friday Favorites {08-22-14}

1.

Washi Tape.

 I started seeing this a while ago and thought...weird.  Now I love it.  I'm starting to feel like Monica with her ribbon drawer ("When we have a baby, there’s gonna be so much that we’re not able to control. I mean, the apartment’s gonna be a mess, I won’t have time to clean it. What if the baby gets into the ribbon drawer? Messes up all the ribbons?! What if there’s no room for a ribbon drawer, because the baby’s stuff takes up all the space!? Where will all the ribbons go!?!").  There are so many fun uses for it and they really don't take up that much space.  Here are some of my favorite washi tape projects I've seen:

The Sweetest Occasion shows how to use it in gift wrapping.  Cute!

Amy Tangerine gives a tutorial on making a cute notebook!  Especially fun for kids.

My Sister's Suitcase made some kitchen items more exciting. 

What Happened Next... provides the idea of making plain tea lights extra sweet.  I really want to do this one because I bought some tea lights from Ikea while they were on sale but they're in need of a little something special.

And here's one I did to celebrate Back to School!  Washi Tape Bunting!

2.

This Video.

It always makes me cry because of the thoughtfulness and kindness of children. 

3.

100s Chart.

I love these for the classroom.  Personal laminated copies and big ones for different activities.  One of my FAVORITE things to do is use it as a reward system called 100s Club.  I learned about this during my student teaching.  You need small sticky notes, two small containers, and numbers 1-100 printed on small pieces of paper.  When students get 100 on a spelling test, quiz, or other assessment then they draw a numbered paper from one container, write that number on a small post it note, put their numbered paper in the discard container, and then cover up that number on the 100s Chart.  When an entire column or row is filled up, the teacher makes sure all of the correct numbers are in the discard container, and those ten students get a special prize!  {I often gave this reward for students that received 90% or better on math and language arts tests}

4.

Cozi App.

I found out about this app recently and decided I should start getting used to it sooner than later so that I can really utilize it when I have several schedules to coordinate.  It's kind of like a command center to go!  It's FREE!  So check it out and see if it works for your family too.

5.

My Sewing Machine.   

I am trying to use this more and more now that I'm at home.  I have several projects in the works and I know that this wonderful machine will help me get those jobs done!  I love all of the different types of stitches it offers, the location of the bobbin, and the reliability.  If you don't have a machine or are in need of a replacement, I highly recommend this one!  

Happy Friday!

Natalie

Hopes and Dreams for the New School Year {A way to set goals}

Do you ever have one of those days?

When you've been running around like crazy.

Cleaning handprints from the walls, washing spit up off your own clothes (and of course, your baby's as well), running errand after errand after errand.

Then you suddenly realize at, like, 9:45 p.m., that you told your sister you would post something today!  HA!

Been there.  Actually, I am there, right now.

Sorry for the delay, and I really wanted to share this earlier, however, my day just kept slipping away from me.

Today I am posting about goals.  Natalie brought up the fact that you should set some goals with your kids as they go back to school, if they haven't already.  I think that even if your kids have started school, you should still set goals.  You hear all the time that if you don't write it down, it will most likely not happen.  So write them down.

I love having goals to work toward.  Sometimes, children don't feel like setting specific goals (i.e. I will tie my shoes, I will read 20 min. each night) and so I like to use the hopes and dreams method of setting goals.  These become something that a child hopes, dreams, or wishes of accomplishing, or doing in the school year.  Children are really receptive to this way of making goals for what they want from the school year.

At the beginning of each school year, as a teacher, I would have all of my students write down their hopes and dreams.  Now, I am suggesting that parents and their children do this as well.  These hopes and dreams do NOT have to revolve only around school, though, it is important to include academic, social, and emotional/or maturity goals(i.e. tying their own shoe, doing their own hair, controlling anger, etc).

Before you sit down with your kids to map out their hopes and dreams for the new school year, make sure that you jot down some things that you hope and dream for you and your kids.  This will help you when it comes time to brainstorm with your children about their hopes and dreams.  Sometimes we can push gently nudge our kids in the right direction.  Especially if they are younger.  The younger your kids are, the more involved you will need to be in helping them develop their hopes and dreams for the new school year.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you sit down to make your own hopes and dreams.
1.  What do you feel will be most important for your child in school this year?
2.  In what ways would you like to see your child grow socially?
3.  In what ways would you like to see your child grow academically?
4.  In what ways would you like to see your child grow emotionally/in maturity?

Now write down your goals.  Got it.  I wouldn't want you to forget. :)

Once you have written down your hopes and dreams for the year, print out the Hopes and Dreams printable. 

Call your children to the table and tell them that they will all be making hopes and dreams for the new year.  Next, if you have children PreK-2nd, read the book School Days, by B.G. Hennessy to them.  After reading, look back at the pictures and have your child(ren) point out things that they hope to do or dream about being able to accomplish this upcoming year.  If you have children 3rd-12th, you may choose to skip the book and have a discussion about what types of things they think will happen for them in the school year and what they really hope and dream about accomplishing.

After you have been brainstorming with them, share your hopes and dreams for the year as well.  This will let your child know that you are vested in their education.  You care.  You even have hopes, dreams, and desires for them.  Then, help them write down what they hope and dream about.  They can illustrate it or not, depending on your child.  Some children really need to see it and read it.  You know your child best.  If they are too old for the printable, just have them write it on a piece of notepad paper.

In case you were wondering, boys might like to make out their hopes and dreams while sitting on the table.  It's just something that they do.  :)

Such concentration requires your tongue to be out.

We displayed our hopes and dreams in the dining room.

Sometimes their hopes and dreams might not come true.  In this case, my daughter is really hoping that her class will have a pet.  It probably won't come true, however, it was her hope and we wrote it down.

I helped heavily with my 3 year old.

Lest you think you are finished, please, read on.  One more thing to make this stick with your kids.  Display their hopes and dreams.  In a common area of your home.  The kitchen, dining room, living room, office.  You pick, and then hang them up.  This way, you can revisit their hopes and dreams throughout the year.  You can see how they are doing.  Check in on them.  Make sure to take stock in your own hopes and dreams from time to time.  Are you helping your children the best you can to accomplish their dreams?  Are you helping yourself?

Family Command Center {Staying Organized During the School Year}

Life with kids can be a bit chaotic.

We all know this.

That's why I like to take pages from my teacher's playbook to help with the chaos.  Next time you walk into your child's classroom, take a look around.  Most teachers are well organized and have things in their place.  At first you probably think the teacher does all of this by herself/himself.  Well, I guess some teachers do it by themselves, however, I always had the students help.  I've tried to make sure that my kids help around the house. 

Now, my kids are still quite small and their participation involves me a LOT.  In order for my son(3) to make his bed, I not only have to remind him, remind him, remind him, I also have to help him and correct him in order to ensure it is done properly and to my standards of clean.  I know that if I just keep up what I'm doing, eventually he will be able to just get out of his bed and make it quickly and neatly.  We are a few years off of that, however, I am proud of his accomplishments thus far.  He has been making his bed since he was 2 and already we are seeing improvement. 

Another thing I expect my kids to help out with is homework/paperwork they bring home.  Once your child is in preschool/kindergarten they are able to empty out their backpack and go through their homework and paperwork with a parent/responsible adult.  One of the things that really bothered me while teaching were students who stuffed their backpack full of homework and paperwork and went off home only to return the very next day with their backpack still stuffed with everything.  I didn't really blame the parents, it was the child's responsibility to empty their backpack and take care of their things.  I also saw kids that would walk ten feet out of my classroom only to throw away all of their backpack's content into the closest trash can.  You can bet I dug those out for them and put them on their desk the next morning.  :)  This is why kids think teachers have eyes in the back of their head. haha!!

I know that there can sometimes be TONS of paperwork coming home.  Now if you have 2 or 3 kids, you can just multiply that paperwork.  Teachers send home past assignments with grades(so you can get a sense of how they are doing), old art projects, flyers from the office, monthly and sometimes weekly newsletters, and of course homework.  This can all add up quickly.  That is why before my oldest started kindergarten I decided I better get my FAMILY COMMAND CENTER set up.

I started with one large magnetic board and went from there.  I added what I thought my family needed and a few fun cutesy things as well.  If you are interested in making a command center for your home, may I suggest that you 'google' command centers, take a look at what others have done, and then decide what will be needed by your family and what will work for the space you have in your home.   Might I add, that my favorite thing about this command center is the key rack.  That alone is a life saver for me and my forgetful brain.  :)

Our Family Command Center

In addition to this wall I have printed out Mique's Family Binder Printables at Thirty Handmade Days to keep more information in a smaller location.  I use that binder every single day.  I also added our cleaning lists and my child's daily responsibilities so that if I am not home, someone else can take the reins and lead the house for the day.  This really came in handy while I was in the hospital after my c-section with my youngest.  My husband stepped right into my spot and everything still got done with my checklists.  :)

Some of my favorite parts of the command center are those pictured above. 

I got the magnetic board at Roberts, which has gone out of business in my area, however, I'm sure you could find something similar at Hobby Lobby or Michaels or another craft store.  I made magnets for each family member with their initial.  This is where I keep a weekly schedule for each person.  It helps me remember important times and days for everyone in the family.  It also makes it easier to not over-schedule our week.  I like to use small post-its for each day and make special days a different color.  Their back to school nights are something special we are doing this week.

The rail, basket, and pencil bucket came from IKEA.  I wanted to put real greenery in that basket, however, I knew that I would ultimately kill it with neglect, so I opted for tissue poms in a bright green color.  :)  The pencil bucket is high enough that my kiddos can't access it, but I can! 

The monogram letter came from Michaels and it was already white - SCORE! 

The letter organizer was bought on Amazon.  I really use it to collect sunglasses, receipts, and odds and ends.  I also stick bills in it for my husband to pay.  (That is one of his many jobs)

The magazine rack is from IKEA, though I bought it on Amazon.  I just stuck some puffy sticker numbers on the side and assigned everyone in the family a number. This is where everyone is held responsible for putting their paperwork and homework. 

The printables that are framed came from multiple places.  I love us came from Eighteen25.  The calendar came from TomKat Studios.  Choose Happy came from Paper Coterie.

Here is a closer look at those printables along with our chore boards.  I just bought plaque boards from Michaels, painted them white, and epoxied sheet metal on top.  Then I used rub-on letters to put their names and to do and done.  I also bought small wooden discs, painted them white, and mod podged the chores onto them.  You can also buy them here, in case you would rather not DIY.

So, if you are dreading the upcoming school year due to the overwhelming amount of paperwork you will soon be receiving daily, then take a page from a teacher's book and organize that paperwork with the help of your kids!  Once my kids are a bit older I am going to put them in charge of writing out their weekly schedule so I don't have to.  I see this command center growing with us as my kids slowly take it over. 

What do you do to keep organized during the school year?

Val's Friday Favorites {08-15-14}

1.

This Message

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."  So powerful.  There are many times that I turn down 'giving' something to someone because I am afraid they are trying to con me or taking advantage of me.  I need to remember this message and give without thinking about why they want it, or what they will do with it.

2.

This Emergency Survival Station

Toni over at Bowl Full of Lemons has created an 8 week plan to becoming prepared for an emergency.  I am starting mine this week.  Last week our city water became contaminated and was testing positive for E. Coli.  I was lucky we had a few extra cases of water in the basement for the summertime.  The last thing I wanted was to become sick or to have my babies be sick.  She also is selling an E-book with everything you need to get started with your own Emergency Survival Station.  Plus, September is National Emergency Preparedness month.  The time of year I always reassess what we have, and what we need to be self sustaining during an emergency.

3.

This Skillet Ziti

I found this recipe a while ago and it has become a regular star at our dinner table.  Sure to please even toddlers...shocking!  I love how simple and quick it is.  Pair it with crusty bread and an easy salad and dinner is ready in under 30 minutes.  Even my picky husband will eat this as leftovers!

4.

The Night Before Preschool, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade Books

 Each of these books are patterned after The Night Before Christmas.  I love them because the rhythm of the story is addicting and you may even find yourself talking in the same rhythm long after you have finished the book.  These books are great for preparing your young children get ready for school.  After reading you can discuss how they are alike/different from the kids in the story.  It will help them notice they are not alone.  All kids are preparing for back to school.  We have used the preschool and now kindergarten ones already.  My daughter loves them!

5.
This blog post

This is something that I need to work on.  Being empathetic to my own children.  I'm not quite sure why I can and have shown empathy to children I meet outside my home, and yet when my child comes unglued my first response is to lose it myself.  I liked this post and felt it would be useful for me to lean on as I try to become more empathetic to my own flesh and blood.  If anyone knows their personalities, it is me.  I need to show them that I know what they are feeling and respect those feelings.

Happy Friday!

Starting Up the School Routine

I know a lot of mommies and teachers have already started trying to get back in the "school routine" for themselves and their families. Things like going to bed on time {no more late night Netflix binges!}, eating a healthy breakfast, keeping rooms tidy, and just plain getting organized.  Here are a few places that give some GREAT tips and ideas for making the transition back to school smooth and {hopefully} complaint free.

All teachers and moms know the key to a successful routine is 

starting earlier than later and STICKING TO IT!

1.  Setting Up and Decorating a Homework Area - This is a special way to make a homework area important to a child/student.  It gives them ownership which will help with their responsibility.

2. Scheduling Free Time and Family Time - Students love summer so much because they feel like they can do more of what they like.  To keep students in love with learning, they should have some time for that as well.  So be sure to add it to the calendar so it won't be forgotten!  Mama Smiles talks about this and gives other ideas for back to school organization.

3.  Make a Happy Mama List - I love all of Lindsey's ideas on here, but the free printable I love the most!  This would work as "The Happy Teacher List" as well.

4.  Get in the Back to School Mindset -  Another great list of tips, but my favorite is going over past achievements and goals from last school year in order to set goals for the upcoming school year.  My teacher heart is filled with joy at the thought of this!

5.  Preparation Timeline - Kerri was kind enough to give a timeline of important events that should be done before students enter the classroom.  If you are only a week away from school starting, pick the tasks that are most important for your child to get done and keep going from there.

6.  Have an End of Summer Party - Don't let the summer end without giving it a proper farewell!  This will create a sense of closure for children and will help you as you start to implement the ideas from above and from your own experience.


A routine that needs to start being implemented before school starts is often forgotten or dismissed.  Studying and/or Homework.  Like it or not, your child will be asked to complete math problems, complete a science experiment, and READ within the next few weeks.  All teachers hope that students are practicing these skills throughout the summer, but if your student has gotten out of the habit, include it in your plan to get ready for school.  "How am I supposed to come up with homework?" you might ask.  Here are some ideas...

~ MAKE IT A GAME
While driving to your child's last swimming lessons or sleepovers make up a game that will help him/her practice different intellectual skills.  For younger learners, you might challenge them to a rhyming challenge {the person who can't think of another rhyming word has to help the other with a chore at home}.  For more advanced students, you might ask them to try and say all of their 6s, 7s, and 8s times tables before the next song on the radio is over in exchange for some extra time outside or playing a video game.  The possibilities are endless!
~ MAKE IT REAL
Help your children to use things they've learned at home or in past years of school in the real world.  Ask your older child to go grocery shopping with you and pay attention to what is going to be purchased and then both of you can estimate what the bill will be.
When you go to the park for the last few times while it's nice and warm, play I Spy with specific things that will make their brain access prior knowledge {i.e. 'I spy a living thing that follows warmth from the sky.'  'I spy an acute angle.'}
~ START THE ROUTINE
If you choose to create a homework space for your student {extremely helpful!}, let him/her practice doing homework there early.  Ask them to write a story to share with the family {remind him/her that there is a writing process}.  Give them some math problems printed from here.  You can easily choose a topic that you know they will succeed in so they don't become frustrated, this is just for routine after all!

No one can do all of these, but one or two might be just what your family needs to have a little more organization and success at home for the next school year.


What other tips do you suggest for an organized/learning home?

JNatalie